This week's CES will feature looks at Steam Machines from various partners in
Valve's hardware initiative.
Engadget reports a dozen companies have announced plans to show off SteamOS
machines at the show: Alienware, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC,
Origin PC, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Webhallen, Alternate, Next, Zotac, and Scan
Computers (thanks
Destructoid). On a related note, CyberPowerPC sends along specs for two of
their SteamOS-powered machines to give a sense of what to
expect:

CYBERPOWERPC Steam Machine will come in several pre-configured
options priced from $499 to $699 with the ability customize all models.

How many Playstation games does a PS4 run? less than 1/4?How many XBox games does an XBOne run? Less than 1/3?Every new SteamOS box will run nearly 30 years of PC games on top of every new PC game for 4, 5 years? Basically the length of a console generation anyway? I have a 4 year old gaming HTPC that still gets 60FPS@1080p with no problems in all current games.

There is nearly no performance difference between moderately priced gaming PC's at all, and software will have to take giant strides forward for that to even be the case. Your SteamBox is not going to suddenly get muscled out performance wise any faster than they did before. If you have to upgrade your SteamBox every 5 years (or more likely, upgrade it slowly by replacing parts and extending it's life even further) how is that any worse than the current way consoles operate? Oh wait, it' not worse... it's way better.

What about purchasing these is overly complicated?

1. Mom walks into store to buy her child a game system with zero prior knowledge.2. Mom sees XBox, PS4, and 8 different SteamOS boxes on the shelf.3. XBox and PS4 get ignored while Mom is trying to figure out which SteamBOX would be the best bang for her buck.

All they need is 1 SteamBox on the shelf that matches the price point of the other consoles and they will win this war in a laugh-er.

What you said earlier:

When having to choose between nearly identical things that are hard to differentiate, consumers don't buy. And often go to substitutes.

This is completely wrong and not how consumers work in the slightest. When given choices, singular options get ignored and lost in the shuffle.

With closed systems, lack of backwards compatibility and upgrade-ability, XBone/PS4/etc will slowly become the "Mac"'s of the gaming world. Ask Apple prior to the iPod/iPhone how being "the other option" in PC's was working out for their profit margins.

They just seem like nothing more than buying a Linux based PC. I priced out the same components and by obviously choosing the cheapest of each I came out to around $650 without an OS. It also seems like you are in for a big disappointment when that Steam machine you bought won't play the game you want because you didn't get the one with X inside. Sure you can just buy that upgraded part and put it in yourself but I can do that with my PC already. There is a reason gaming machines cost a lot and these seem like low powered machines made to run sub AAA titles. A console gamer knows when he puts a game in it will run as expected without tweaking the graphics settings. In these it sounds like, depending on which one you get, you will have to tweak making them more confusing to people who may think they are buying a PC console.

Something else I wonder about is the Linux OS. Is it able to run any game Windows can or does the game have to be ported to Linux first? Being a Windows guy I really don't know how that works but I would be worried that manufacturers wouldn't try to optimize the Linux drivers for the best performance since they are not their #1 customers. I know of Valves hatred toward Windows, not to mention the added cost of bundling it into a system, but it seems like you are putting a lot on the future of gaming with Linux.

Beamer wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 14:30:But that doesn't solve the "there are 6 on the shelf, which one do I buy" problem.

You don't have that with consoles. People want either a PS or an Xbox. They then buy. No further questions.

Are you poor? Get the cheap one. Or rich? Get the best one. Or thrifty, then figure it out or ask. There are variations of consoles once they mature people wad through. Capitalists don't have to always be treated like communists. How can a simpleton ever buy a TV with so many out there? A phone? A house? Should they just get the one given because face it, only people on Blue's has a brain and everyone else that we speak for is re-tar-dated.

You act if there can only be a market if mom can figure it out on the spot. Isn't the choice between the Xbox or PS4 a mind blower if you have no idea and haven't been told exactly what to get? That sounds like one too many products to decide upon to me, so it must fail. Man people in general are actually better than that. But if it is too much, then whatever market Steam is making, will be just what it is then. Oh well.

Most people don't fall into "poor or rich." The whole "figure it out or ask" part is where they get lost. Figuring it out isn't fun for most people, and asking requires trusting the person giving you an answer.

How does a simpleton ever buy a TV? Because every TV will play every TV channel, so they primarily go into Walmart and buy the biggest in their budget. That's how they judge - size.Every Steambox will not play every game, at least not equally, and at some point there will be a cutoff. And there's no one feature, such as size, that can easily be used to compare.

Not really sure how you're comparing 12+ nearly identical devices to 2 very different ones, and I have no clue how you're working capitalism and communism into this (a tangent that really damages any argument you're making), but since you bring up "too many to choose from," you should buy Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and read about the "consequence of choice." It's a pretty well studied phenomenon - people are terrible at making choices and, when facing too many, choose to avoid making the choice at all. The famous study was a grocery store putting out a table of jam on two identical days. One day they put out 3 jars. Another day they put out 20. They sold significantly more jam when only 3 were out. Why? Because people can easily choose between 3 things. People cannot easily choose between 20. Although an equal amount tasted the jam each day, fewer people purchased.

When having to choose between nearly identical things that are hard to differentiate, consumers don't buy. And often go to substitutes.

Every Steam machine plays all Steam machine games, like every TV has all channels. It's going to be a while before Mom goes in and buys Johnny a Steam Machine, they'll have to be a huge success for that to happen. But if they do, they can ask. I couldn't really care less if it really sells or not, I doubt they are planning a million sold anytime soon like the consoles.

: :

Every steam machine won't run every steam game, just like every PC can't run every PC game. At some point, if you're assuming these things will stretch far into the future, there will be a cutoff where System A can run a game but System B is too outdated.

Reread what I said. "This is overly complicated and Valve could have done better." By arguing with that, you're acting as if Valve did everything perfectly. The other argument I'm making is that this is too confusing for the general consumer, something many people here, and Valve itself, seems to agree with. But the hardcore consumer isn't really foaming at the mouth for a prebuilt box. Which begs the question: who is this for? Are you going to buy one?

I'm actually interested to see if they will integrate optimized graphics profiles for "steam machine compatible games" into steam itself for the A and I version. Having said that, I would only consider buying one if they put a solid state drive in at some point. I refuse to suffer through loading screens anymore.

Beamer wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 14:30:But that doesn't solve the "there are 6 on the shelf, which one do I buy" problem.

You don't have that with consoles. People want either a PS or an Xbox. They then buy. No further questions.

Are you poor? Get the cheap one. Or rich? Get the best one. Or thrifty, then figure it out or ask. There are variations of consoles once they mature people wad through. Capitalists don't have to always be treated like communists. How can a simpleton ever buy a TV with so many out there? A phone? A house? Should they just get the one given because face it, only people on Blue's has a brain and everyone else that we speak for is re-tar-dated.

You act if there can only be a market if mom can figure it out on the spot. Isn't the choice between the Xbox or PS4 a mind blower if you have no idea and haven't been told exactly what to get? That sounds like one too many products to decide upon to me, so it must fail. Man people in general are actually better than that. But if it is too much, then whatever market Steam is making, will be just what it is then. Oh well.

Most people don't fall into "poor or rich." The whole "figure it out or ask" part is where they get lost. Figuring it out isn't fun for most people, and asking requires trusting the person giving you an answer.

How does a simpleton ever buy a TV? Because every TV will play every TV channel, so they primarily go into Walmart and buy the biggest in their budget. That's how they judge - size.Every Steambox will not play every game, at least not equally, and at some point there will be a cutoff. And there's no one feature, such as size, that can easily be used to compare.

Not really sure how you're comparing 12+ nearly identical devices to 2 very different ones, and I have no clue how you're working capitalism and communism into this (a tangent that really damages any argument you're making), but since you bring up "too many to choose from," you should buy Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and read about the "consequence of choice." It's a pretty well studied phenomenon - people are terrible at making choices and, when facing too many, choose to avoid making the choice at all. The famous study was a grocery store putting out a table of jam on two identical days. One day they put out 3 jars. Another day they put out 20. They sold significantly more jam when only 3 were out. Why? Because people can easily choose between 3 things. People cannot easily choose between 20. Although an equal amount tasted the jam each day, fewer people purchased.

When having to choose between nearly identical things that are hard to differentiate, consumers don't buy. And often go to substitutes.

Every Steam machine plays all Steam machine games, like every TV has all channels. It's going to be a while before Mom goes in and buys Johnny a Steam Machine, they'll have to be a huge success for that to happen. But if they do, they can ask. I couldn't really care less if it really sells or not, I doubt they are planning a million sold anytime soon like the consoles.

Beamer wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 14:30:But that doesn't solve the "there are 6 on the shelf, which one do I buy" problem.

You don't have that with consoles. People want either a PS or an Xbox. They then buy. No further questions.

Are you poor? Get the cheap one. Or rich? Get the best one. Or thrifty, then figure it out or ask. There are variations of consoles once they mature people wad through. Capitalists don't have to always be treated like communists. How can a simpleton ever buy a TV with so many out there? A phone? A house? Should they just get the one given because face it, only people on Blue's has a brain and everyone else that we speak for is re-tar-dated.

You act if there can only be a market if mom can figure it out on the spot. Isn't the choice between the Xbox or PS4 a mind blower if you have no idea and haven't been told exactly what to get? That sounds like one too many products to decide upon to me, so it must fail. Man people in general are actually better than that. But if it is too much, then whatever market Steam is making, will be just what it is then. Oh well.

Most people don't fall into "poor or rich." The whole "figure it out or ask" part is where they get lost. Figuring it out isn't fun for most people, and asking requires trusting the person giving you an answer.

How does a simpleton ever buy a TV? Because every TV will play every TV channel, so they primarily go into Walmart and buy the biggest in their budget. That's how they judge - size.Every Steambox will not play every game, at least not equally, and at some point there will be a cutoff. And there's no one feature, such as size, that can easily be used to compare.

Not really sure how you're comparing 12+ nearly identical devices to 2 very different ones, and I have no clue how you're working capitalism and communism into this (a tangent that really damages any argument you're making), but since you bring up "too many to choose from," you should buy Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and read about the "consequence of choice." It's a pretty well studied phenomenon - people are terrible at making choices and, when facing too many, choose to avoid making the choice at all. The famous study was a grocery store putting out a table of jam on two identical days. One day they put out 3 jars. Another day they put out 20. They sold significantly more jam when only 3 were out. Why? Because people can easily choose between 3 things. People cannot easily choose between 20. Although an equal amount tasted the jam each day, fewer people purchased.

When having to choose between nearly identical things that are hard to differentiate, consumers don't buy. And often go to substitutes.

I wouldn't purchase one w/o KB & M support, but I do think this is great for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm assuming it will allow you to play anything in your Steam library (?). 2) Maybe this will incentivize Developers to still port PC games in lieu of console exclusives.

Beamer wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 14:30:But that doesn't solve the "there are 6 on the shelf, which one do I buy" problem.

You don't have that with consoles. People want either a PS or an Xbox. They then buy. No further questions.

Are you poor? Get the cheap one. Or rich? Get the best one. Or thrifty, then figure it out or ask. There are variations of consoles once they mature people wad through. Capitalists don't have to always be treated like communists. How can a simpleton ever buy a TV with so many out there? A phone? A house? Should they just get the one given because face it, only people on Blue's has a brain and everyone else that we speak for is re-tar-dated.

You act if there can only be a market if mom can figure it out on the spot. Isn't the choice between the Xbox or PS4 a mind blower if you have no idea and haven't been told exactly what to get? That sounds like one too many products to decide upon to me, so it must fail. Man people in general are actually better than that. But if it is too much, then whatever market Steam is making, will be just what it is then. Oh well.

Prez wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 15:14:I'm really curious to see how these things are received. Like others I find myself wondering if there is even a market for such a device. I find myself hoping that there is, if only to get more people playing PC games.

If there's a market for 12 or more overpriced boutique PC builders, then there's a market for a Steambox.

jacobvandy wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 12:44:It's $400 if you were to buy just the GTX 760 and i3-4330 yourself, so you can decide whether the rest of the package is worth $300.

no

oem parts do not cost the same as aftermarket parts, even though you may want to compare them that way - but from a hardware standpoint its just not the same thing

they are manufactured and regulated differently, and that is why they cost less

Yeah, no shit... That makes zero difference to the end user, though. You either buy the parts individually from Newegg or wherever, or you buy them from an assembler like CyberPower. If you have a source for OEM parts where you can buy them at the same price they pay before they sell them to regular people, good for you, but you have no business calling it a crappy deal if there is no way to get a better price for the same exact thing in the actual consumer market.

its a crappy deal for lower quality oem parts

yeh aftermarket costs a bit more, but its much better quality parts so when it lasts longer and performs better, thats part of the cost value

jacobvandy wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 12:44:It's $400 if you were to buy just the GTX 760 and i3-4330 yourself, so you can decide whether the rest of the package is worth $300.

no

oem parts do not cost the same as aftermarket parts, even though you may want to compare them that way - but from a hardware standpoint its just not the same thing

they are manufactured and regulated differently, and that is why they cost less

Yeah, no shit... That makes zero difference to the end user, though. You either buy the parts individually from Newegg or wherever, or you buy them from an assembler like CyberPower. If you have a source for OEM parts where you can buy them at the same price they pay before they sell them to regular people, good for you, but you have no business calling it a crappy deal if there is no way to get a better price for the same exact thing in the actual consumer market.

Prez wrote on Jan 6, 2014, 15:14:I'm really curious to see how these things are received. Like others I find myself wondering if there is even a market for such a device. I find myself hoping that there is, if only to get more people playing PC games.

I agree and hope wholeheartedly that these things take off. Will only be good for PC gaming.

Maybe there is this really big group of slightly timid, but slightly interested PC gamers in the making that just need to have a prebuilt box, but I'm not otherwise sure who this is aimed at. The OS hasn't managed to double gaming performance, right?

Expecting these to die off,Ray

I have nothing against folk who build their own, and know how to tweak, but after years of doing it myself, I can, and do see the attraction in off the shelf. I like PC gaming for reasons other than OC'ing and having a range of devices to choose from, that will let me play my library of games, is appealing.

::Rockstar made $1 billion in 3 days with GTAV, yet they can't find the budget to port RDR to PC.